Belgrade, Serbia Aug 19,2025 I had intended to end this summer’s trip in Finland and was supposed to fly back home from Helsinki. But this trip felt unfinished in a vague way; something was not quite what I’d expected although I would hard put to put a finger on exactly what. More than one person … More Not quiet on the Eastern Front
Tampere, Finland Aug 17, 2025 On a blustery rainy evening in Krakow some weeks ago, a few of us were sitting around the kitchen table in the hostel and trading tales. That is when I met her. Merve is irrepressible with the gift of making ordinary comments bounce with laughter. She is from Diyarbakir in … More You Must Come Visit
Suomenlinna, Finland Aug 15, 2025 The Helsinki harbor is dotted with many little islands, some inhabited, some too small to support more than a cabin for occasional use. The most famous of them are a group of six islands; on these was built a sea fortress called Sveaborg, or Sea Fortress. Begun in 1748, it … More Fortress at Sea
Helsinki, Finland Aug 14, 2025 I had imagined a basic ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki. But this was no mere ferry, it was a huge ship. I have never been on a cruise ship but I imagine it must be similar to this. Multiple decks at multiple levels, cafes and restaurants and even duty-free shops … More In the Northern Reaches
Tallinn, Estonia Aug 12, 2025 They may sound like the lead characters of a fairytale, but they are actually the names of a pair of defense towers. Twenty-six towers once studded the encircling wall of Vanalinn old town. Today we know the town as Tallinn. Heavily bombed in March of 1944, much of the walls, … More Fat Margaret & Tall Hermann
Riga, Latvia Aug 9, 2025 A row of what looks like airplane hangars lines the edge of the canal next to the bus station. It is the Central Market. It spills outside with the stalls lined in regimented order, segregated by category. It is very much like Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent or for that matter, … More Smoked Fish Anyone?
Riga, Latvia Aug 7, 2025 They are scattered around Riga, reputedly some eight hundred of them. But there is one street where they seem concentrated, one after the other in a row. The buildings on Alberta street are all art nouveau, built largely in the early 1900s when Riga commanded a privileged position in the … More Where Bizarre Reigns Supreme
Krakow, Poland July 30, 2025 To the southeast of the old town of Krakow is the area called Kazimierz, founded by King Casimir in the 14th century and named after him. It was a separate city, intended to protect the southern boundary of Krakow. In the late 15th century, rising tensions in the city led … More The Changing Face of Kazimierz
Gdansk, Poland July 22, 2025 Situated at the mouth of the Motlawa river, 14th century Danzig was a major port on the Baltic Sea, especially for grain. As a leading member of the Hanseatic League, Gdansk, as it is now called, saw immense amounts of grain flowing through it. This necessitated granaries; in fact so … More On Granary Island
Warsaw, Poland July 17,2025 The Royal Route stretches from the Wilanow Palace in the south all the way to the Castle Square in the north, the entire street being on the Historic Monuments register. At the south end is a large statue of Copernicus presiding over a paved square with the solar system engraved on … More A Wander Through Warsaw
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 